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stake2

Syllabification: (stake)
Pronunciation: /stāk/
Translate stake | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of stake

noun

(usually stakes)
  • a sum of money or something else of value gambled on the outcome of a risky game or venture:playing dice for high stakes figurativethe mayor raised the stakes in the battle for power the stakes are high with a six-figure bonanza in television rights in the balance
  • a share or interest in a business, situation, or system:GM acquired a 50 percent stake in Saab
  • (stakes) prize money, especially in horse racing.
  • [in names] (stakes) a horse race in which all the owners of the racehorses running contribute to the prize money:the horse is to run in the Lexington Stakes
  • [with modifier] (stakes) a situation involving competition in a specified area:we will keep you one step ahead in the fashion stakes

verb

[with object]
  • 1gamble (money or something else of value) on the outcome of a game or race:one gambler staked everything he’d got and lost figurativeit was risky to stake his reputation on one big success
  • 2North American informal give financial or other support to:he staked him to an education at the École des Beaux-Arts

Phrases

at stake

  • 1to be won or lost; at risk:people’s lives could be at stake
  • 2at issue or in question:the logical response is to give up, but there’s more at stake than logic

Origin:

late Middle English: perhaps a specialized usage of stake1, from the notion of an object being placed as a wager on a post or stake

Do not confuse stake with steak. Stake mainly means 'gamble money or something valuable' (he staked everything he’d got and lost), 'a strong post used to support plants' or 'something gambled' (playing dice for high stakes), whereas steak means 'a thick slice of beef' (steak and fries).

stake in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of stake in the British & World English dictionary

Nearby words

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